Burbine accused of raping and assaulting more than dozen children

Another victim of John Burbine, the Wakefield man accused of raping and assaulting more than a dozen children, has stepped forward, motivated by coverage of the case, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s office, Wicked Local Wakefield reported.

An Essex County Grand Jury handed down the indictment on Monday, March 25, involving the new allegations, which reportedly took place in Saugus. The victim was between 5 and 9 years old when the alleged assaults occurred between 1990 and 1994.

The new charges include one count of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14 and one count of child rape.

“The publicity surrounding the arrest and indictments in Middlesex County spurred the victim to come forward,” said Carrie Kimball Monahan, a spokeswoman for the Essex County District Attorney’s office.

Burbine will be arraigned in Salem Superior Court, although a date has yet to be determined.

In Middlesex County, Burbine is accused of allegedly raping and abusing 13 boys and girls, ranging from 8 days old to 3 1/2 years old.

Police said the incidents occurred in the victims’ own homes, which Burbine reportedly accessed through a child care service operated by his wife. He faces about 100 counts related to the allegations, on charges ranging from aggravated forcible rape of child to possession of child pornography.

Police say Burbine possessed images and video of the 13 victims on his home computer posed in the nude and engaged in sexual acts. The defendant allegedly videotaped the assaults.

The 13 victims are reportedly from Reading, Woburn, Stoneham, Melrose, Medford, Newton and Waltham. Many of the victims were abused multiple times over the course of months or years, according to investigators, who believe the timeframe for the assaults is between August 2010 and August 2012.

Burbine was convicted in 1989 of indecent assault and battery on a child, and was classified as a Level 1 offender, the lowest sex offender status. The identities of Level 1 offenders are available only to police. Lawmakers, prompted by the Burbine case, are now pushing for a change to that procedure.

Additionally, the state Department of Children and Families investigated alleged abuse complaints against Burbine in 2005 and 2009. However, at the time, Leone said his office was unable to prosecute based on the complaints. The Free Press’ news partner, WCVB, reported the cases involved a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old.

At a press conference on Dec. 6, 2013, when the allegations against Burbine were first announced, Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone said anyone who has information about the case should call the Middlesex District Attorney’s Child Abuse Unit at 781-897-8400.

“We can’t know whether or not there are [additional] victims,” he said at the time.

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